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BERKELEY-- The California women's gymnastics team hosted the defending NCAA National Champion UCLA Bruins at the Recreational Sports Facility on the Berkeley campus tonight. The Bears put in a quality effort, but succumbed to the powerful Bruins 188.700-195.300.

For the first time this season, California (5-7, 0-6 Pac-10) failed to improve their overall team score as they had in sequential meets. Their team total tonight is the year's second-best after the 190.125 score recorded on February 6 against Arizona. The Bears also did not increase team highs in any of the four events but there were some key individual accomplishments.

Jenni Kang scored a 9.825 on the beam to tie for third place with Lena Degteva. Helene Kenny continued her impressive freshman campaign on the bars with a 9.825 second place score. Kenny is currently ranked no. ten in the nation with a 9.842 average in that event.

Heidi Moneymaker won the all-around title with a career-high tying 39.375 total after recording a career-high tying 9.925 on the floor and a 9.875 on the uneven bars.

The Bruins took the top three places in the floor, vault and all-around competitions en route to their second-best team total of the year.

UCLA is ranked no. four in the nation (48.637 ave.) on the uneven bars and their 48.775 score tonight will help to increase that mean. The Bruins also improved their ninth- ranked national average of 48.469 on the vault by recording 48.575 total points.

The Bears will travel to Stanford next week to compete against the eleventh-ranked Cardinal on Friday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m.